Category Archives: Interesting facts

Early kitchen countertops

Everyone has a kitchen and a countertop used as working space or even dining table. The thing seems so obvious that not many people wonder about kitchen countertop nature and origins. Kitchen countertops history is an important element of history of human development and is worth to be carefully studied. First kitchen countertops were made of wood and stone. Only imagine early people from the distant past who cooked over a fireplace. What they needed was just a simple construction of wood and stone over the crackling fire. When first kitchens started to appear and became more and more popular the countertops were still wooden and stone. These two materials were simply the most available ones, hence it was only natural to have this kind of countertop.

Early 19th century brought some changes. In rich houses and estates people could finally afford more exquisite materials – such as marble, finer wooden materials or even metals. At this time countertops gained new appearance and became much more sophisticated than before. Finally, kitchen countertop became something more than just a necessary appliance, important only because of its practical qualities. Simple and sturdy countertops became things of the past associated with primitive old days. Soon marble became replaced with granite – but not totally. Countertop became more and more sign of wealth and style than only a basic tool.

Kitchen countertops nowadays

Today kitchen countertops have a lot of faces. Frist of all, they are still necessary elements of every kitchen. They need to fulfill the basic practical needs. They must be easy and simple to use but also to clean and maintain. They need to guarantee hygiene and safe conditions of usage. Yet, at the same time they need to be elegant and pleasant to look at. Kitchen as the very heart of many homes after all needs to be welcoming and inviting. Kitchen countertop at its center must be therefore eye-catching and stylish. It can’t be dull and boring.

Today market of kitchen countertops is constantly developing. New materials appear all the time and the designs become fashionable. Natural stones still remain very popular. There are highly demanded granite, marble or soapstone kitchen countertops, but there are also other materials available. Think for example about engineered stones such as quartz which can have a lot of colors, which are not available in case of natural stones. Kitchen countertops are gaining momentum now and it’s really interesting how are they going to develop in the future. Since, the beginning of history kitchen countertop has played an important role and this probably won’t change anytime soon.

Modern day kitchen countertop become more and more unusual in terms of design. Architects and common customers become more and more sophisticated and creative when it comes to kitchen countertops. Who knows what new ideas can make of them?